Ben Smart

Ben Smart joined WECT as a multimedia journalist in August 2017. He’s excited to join the Wilmington community and cover news stories that are important to you. Before working full-time as a journalist, Ben completed a year of medical school at Wake Forest University, School of Medicine. There, he was actively involved in the student-run and physician-staffed clinic, “DEAC,” which provides free medical care to the local, underserved community. Ben’s interdisciplinary background helps inform his reporting. He received a Bachelor of Science degree with distinction in Public Health Nutrition from the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He also completed academic minors in Broadcast and Electronic Journalism and Spanish for the Medical Professions. During college, he also studied Spanish at the University of Costa Rica in San José. Ben also graduated as a Stembler Scholar and Honors Carolina Laureate. In 2013, Ben joined Carolina Week, the student-run TV newscast at UNC Chapel Hill. There he worked as a reporter, producer, and anchor. His reporting work was recognized by the Association of Health Care Journalists with a 2015 Academic Health Journalism Fellowship. He also placed as a finalist in the 2016 Hearst Journalism Awards National Championship and received the award for “Best Use of Television for News Coverage.” Ben’s reporting has also earned awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and The Broadcast Education Association. Ben completed internships with CBS News, CNN, KPRC, The Fountain Hills Times, and the Forsyth County Department of Public Health. He grew up in Oklahoma and Texas, and he is a proud graduate of the Academy of Science and Technology at The Woodlands College Park High School. If you have any story ideas, contact Ben Smart at bsmart@wect.com. You can also connect with him on Facebook and Twitter.

Recent Articles by Ben

The updated agreement will now require Chemours to report monthly GenX air emissions, analyze PFAS buildup in river sediment, and provide filtration systems in certain public buildings for drinking water fountains and maintain them for 20 years.

Ben Smart

A culvert is an open drain pipe under a road or railroad where water can pass through. A culvert can be blocked by an obstruction like a beaver dam, sedimentation, or trash, but it might also have breakages or damage to the pipe itself.

Ben Smart

This week, N.C. representatives filed a bill that extends the statute of limitations so a child sexual abuse victim has until age 45 to take civil action against the perpetrator, and child sexual abuse advocates are voicing support.

Ben Smart

Next week, North Carolina state regulators plan to send warning letters to businesses that are selling CBD-infused food and beverages, making unapproved health claims about CBD, or violating any other state or FDA law about the hyped compound.